What's it all about?

40 nights for the orphans of India. My 'Lent in a Tent' is about raising hugely needed funds for 'Shining Faces in India' orphanage in Salem, Tamil Nadhu, by sleeping ouside the Chaplaincy at King's Bruton for 40 nights. My target is at least £10,000 - which amazingly is only enough to feed the hundreds of children there for about two months.I hope that many might be inspired to trade 40 pounds for my 40 nights. Actually, in the back of my mind I'm convinced that we could smash through the target and go much much further ... I wonder.

Monday, 25 February 2013

In dependence ... night 20/40

What must it be like to live in dependence? In the west we so value our independence that we can hardly imagine a life of continued dependance. I think this is something that Jayaraj understandably feels acutely. He'd love for the orphanage to be truly independent - to be freed from reliance upon western generosity and be able to fend and provide for itself.

That's why he's been working so hard to develop the educational facilities at the orphanage so that spaces can be offered on a commercial basis alongside the free places given to the orphans.

The offshoot of dependence, though, is a wonderful reliance on provision far beyond their own or anyone else's ability to offer ...

It really is the most moving experience imaginable to be engulfed in a wave of the children's prayer.

I mentioned it in the BBC Somerset interview on Sunday you can find below after night 18/40. The Tamil flows over us listeners. But as it does so it delivers the repeated humbling blows of our own names. We hear them as moments of familiarity among the mass of the unfamiliar. But the moments are enough for us to understand that those with so little are praying for us in our plenty.

Having been to Morrisons this evening to buy provisions for our King'sLenten Addresses next week, I'm reminded of just how much we have access to. Aisle after aisle of plenty! Maybe it's one of the reasons my own prayer life is so expressive of lack of reliance?

Can I offer yet another thank you to more and more of you who are joining in and adding your stake to the many already planted in support of this effort for the little ones.